Patients with critical conditions are facing problems in accessing health services amid strict lockdown.
The conditions has worsen to such an extent that many are facing difficulties in even getting day to day medical services. The biggest problem is for such patients who are suffering from kidney, liver, cancer, heart and other problems requiring regular medical treatment from doctors and paramedics.
Lakshman Singh a resident of Professor Colony, Karam Toli is suffering from Parkinson’s disease and doctors have advised him regular medical check up along with exercise. “I am suffering from the disease for past five years. I am getting treatment from doctors in Pune and Ranchi. My appointment with doctor in Pune is on April 20. But, now I feel that I will not be able to meet the doctor due to lockdown as all airlines services are cancelled," he said.
Singh further said, “I have been advised to do regular exercise, which includes morning walk, but due to lockdown I have not done exercise for past one month.”
Apart from this patients suffering from kidney ailments are facing much problem. Om Prakash Agarwal a resident of Upper Bazaar suffers from kidney ailments and requires dialysis but due to lockdown Agarwal is facing problems. Agarwal's son Anand Agarwal said, " My father has to get regular dialysis at Raj Hospital but due to lockdown we are facing problem in taking patient for dialysis."
The government’s own undated estimate is that 6000 kidney, 1500 liver and 25000 corneal transplants are performed annually, in addition to much smaller numbers of heart and lung transplants. All transplants patients require immune suppressants to ensure their bodies do not reject the transplanted organs.
Sources said that India 34 million patients in need of dialysis as of 2018 according to national dialysis registry with 220000 patients added every year.
Moreover although age is not a chronic disease the elderly are also vulnerable in the lockdown as elderly suffers from different age related disease.
Sources said the district administration and state government has launched various facilities so that people don’t face difficulties during lockdown but meeting medical emergency is still a challenging affair for government during lockdown period.
Call for medical emergency can be gauged from the fact that last week a person travelled 100 km from his village in Hazaribag to Ranchi by his bicycle just for purchase medicines for his elderly father as during lockdown medicine supply at his village was suspended.
Though during lockdown people are facing different kinds of problem the State government has set up a state level corona control room and a toll free number had been issued so that people can contact for any kind of problem and queries.A differently abled person of Hazaribag called the toll free number as he was left with no food and medicines. The district administration on receiving the complaint not only took cognizance but also made supply of food and medicines to the needy elderly person.